1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to installation and repair of electrical outlets in buildings, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for holding, testing and installing wall-mounted electrical outlets and switches.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wall-mounted electrical outlets and switches are installed every day during new construction, remodeling and repair of homes, offices, warehouses, residential and commercial structures, and other buildings. A typical wall switch or outlet is installed in a junction box that is attached to the frame that supports the wall. Wires are installed that run from an electrical power source such as a circuit breaker or fuse box, through the frame to the junction box that will hold the outlet or switch. Eventually, a point is reached during construction where power is available to be supplied through the wires that run to the electrical outlet and switch boxes. Once power is available, the electrical outlet fixtures and switches may be installed in the junction boxes and tested to confirm that they are working properly.
Wall Socket. Installing an electrical outlet or wall socket generally requires connecting the hot (black), neutral (white) and ground (green/bare) wires to the outlet fixture itself, testing the fixture to confirm that the connections are correct and that it is receiving power, attaching the fixture to the junction box, and eventually attaching a cover plate over the fixture. The most common fixtures include at least one pair of screws or terminals to which the hot and neutral wires are attached. Other fixtures include at least one pair of locking terminal openings into which the stripped, straight hot and neutral wires may be inserted. These openings may be provided instead of or in addition to screws. Wires that are inserted into these terminal openings cannot be easily removed unless an adjacent locking tab is depressed to release them. Virtually all outlet fixtures include a metallic mounting portion for attaching the fixture to the junction box. A separate green-colored grounding terminal is generally provided in the form of a screw on the metallic portion, allowing for attachment of the ground wire to ground the fixture to the junction box.
An electrician ordinarily uses a wire stripper and/or crimping tool to strip and, if necessary, bend the wires prior to attachment to the outlet fixture. A screwdriver is also required to tighten the wire screws, to attach the fixture to the box, and to install the cover plate over the fixture. The fixture must be handled carefully once the hot and neutral wires have been attached in order to avoid an electric shock. This often requires the use of a separate pair of pliers having insulated handles. The electrician then uses one hand to hold the fixture against the junction box with the pliers, while using the other hand to attach the fixture to the box using a screwdriver. This can be cumbersome because of the bulky configuration of the fixture, particularly in those cases where the pliers and screwdriver are using the same region on the fixture. For easier handling, in order to save time and to avoid the use (and possible misplacement) of an extra tool, many installers forego the use of any tool to hold the connected fixture, and instead run the risks associated with handling a “hot” socket fixture without insulation. This, of course, is dangerous and should be avoided if at all possible.
Wall socket testing devices have been developed in the prior art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,034,284; 4,164,702 and 6,218,844 having prongs for insertion into the slots of the wall socket to determine whether the hot and neutral wires have been connected correctly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,235 discloses a tool for testing and manipulating electrical outlets. All of these devices are bulky, and none of them include any handle for simple, efficient removal of the device from the socket. Moreover, no known device provides the stripping and wire bending function in the same tool used for manipulation and testing of the wall socket.
It is therefore desirable to provide a single tool for use in installing a wall socket that may be detachably engaged with the socket, that has a convenient insulated handle for easy manipulation of the socket without any danger of electrical shock, and that also includes a means for measuring and stripping the ends of the wires, a means for bending the ends of the wires, and a means for testing the socket after the wires have been attached.
Wall Switch. Installing an electrical wall switch also requires connecting the hot, neutral and ground wires to the switch fixture itself, testing the fixture, attaching it to the junction box, and eventually attaching a cover plate. As with wall sockets, most switch fixtures include a pair of screws or terminals to which the hot and neutral wires are to be attached. Newer fixtures may include a pair of locking terminal openings into which the stripped, straight hot and neutral wires may be inserted; instead of or in addition to the screw terminals. And virtually all wall switches also include a metallic mounting portion for attaching the fixture to the junction box. A separate green-colored grounding terminal is provided in the form of a screw on this metallic portion for attachment of the ground wire to ground the fixture to the junction box.
As with wall sockets, the electrical wires must be stripped, and in some cases bent prior to attachment to the switch fixture. Then the fixture must be handled carefully in order to avoid an electric shock. An electrician faces installation problems similar to those of a wall socket, in that one hand is used to hold the fixture against the junction box with a pair of pliers, while the other hand is used to attach the fixture to the box using a screwdriver. Should the installer forego the use of an insulated tool to hold the connected fixture, (s)he faces the risks associated with handling a “hot” socket fixture without insulation.
Since there are no slots on ordinary wall switch fixtures, the testing and manipulation devices that have been developed in the prior art for wall sockets cannot be used with wall switches. No known devices exist that allow a user to detachably engage a wall switch for manipulation and insulation prior to and during installation. Nor are any devices known to exist which provide the added functions of stripping and if necessary bending the wires prior to attachment to the switch.
It is therefore desirable to provide a single tool for use in installing a wall switch that may be detachably engaged with the switch, that has a convenient insulated handle for easy manipulation of the switch without any danger of electrical shock, and that also optionally includes a means for measuring and stripping the ends of the wires, and a means for bending the ends of the wires.